Re: Don't Call it Frisco
Another common Northern California expression is the way in which residents refer to San Francisco as simply "The City" if they live in nearby suburbs (such as San Mateo) or cities like Oakland or Danville, or even as far south as Santa Cruz, some Spanish Mexican speakers refer to it as "San Pancho" as Pancho is a usual a nickname for Francisco in Mexico. Similarly, the city of South San Francisco is sometimes referred to as "South City", especially in the pages of the San Francisco Examiner. The term "Frisco" is almost never used by residents, except in jest, much as "The Big Apple" is not typically used by native New Yorkers. However, although well-known newspaper columnist Herb Caen once castigated the use of the term "Frisco", he later recanted, and the term continues to be used.[6]. Still, the term "Frisco" continues to be viewed by many northern Californians as either revealing ignorance, or as vaguely derogatory. When used by northern Californians, it is typically employed with a sense of irony.
Wikipedia is some funny shit.